#50. A glimpse into the shadows: An insider’s adventures in the world of escorts

“Ladies, come and get it!” Syndy hollers at the top of her voice as soon as we walk into the townhouse. I’m carrying the tray of drinks and she has managed to grab all four bags of food.by Sarah Brooke

“McDonald’s. Get your asses down here or I’m eating your food.” With boots still on she heads to the kitchen and I follow her. Putting the bags down on the counter, she checks through them and grabs the only bag that she hasn’t pilfered fries out of. She winks at me and I let out a little chuckle. I leave the drinks on the counter and grab one, taking a bag of food with me as I head to the living room.

Syndy has already sat down on the floor and is in the process of dumping ketchup and mayonnaise onto fries that she’s put into the lid of the Big Mac container.

“They remembered the extra sauce! Hurray!” She says, throwing a fist into the air.

I grab a seat on the couch directly behind her and start arranging my food on my lap, with my drink safely nestled between my leg and the arm of the couch.

Maggie is the first one down and she smiles at us as she walks into the room. “Thanks, guys! I didn’t bring a lunch today.” I expect her to head back upstairs and eat on her own but instead she seats herself on the opposite end of the couch.

Taylor bursts into the room with her food on a plate and the bag nowhere to be seen. I hope she’s managed to throw it in the garbage instead of leaving it for me to pick up but I banish the worry from my head and instead I start stuffing my face with the burger.

“I’ve been texting with Tim.” She says as she curls up on the couch between myself and Maggie.

“And?” Syndy asks, mouth full of fries.

“He brought her straight home and they’re there now. She’s calmer now. Crying her eyes out, he says.”

“I wonder if she’s crying because she realizes her phone is ruined. Toilet water isn’t good for iPhones I hear.” Syndy smirks and takes a drink from her Coke.

“I dunno, man.” Taylor has a slightly ghetto fabulous tone to her voice and I always love hearing her talk. “She’s a fucking mess.”

“What do you think she was on?” Maggie ask. She’s carefully squeezing ketchup onto her Big Mac in a squiggly line.

“Speed. Prescription drugs. Crack. Who knows. She used to be a speed freak but I think it’s prescription drugs now.” Taylor says.

“When is Belle coming back, anyways?” Syndy asks, again speaking through a mouth full of food.

“No fucking clue, hopefully never.” Taylor says and Syndy laughs.

“Maybe she’ll have another mental breakdown and finally quit for good.” Syndy says.

“I’ve never met Belle. Tim warned me about her though, said she can be a bit difficult?” I say.

“Oh, that’s putting it nicely. Belle is a bitch. If you think Dixie or Ebony are bad, wait until you meet Belle. She’s really good with customers or else she’d have been fired a long time ago.” Taylor says.

“Where is she?” I ask.

“She asked for a week off about a month ago. She’s taking some time off for her mental health.” Taylor rolls her eyes.

“She does this sometimes. She’s been here for a year and she’s been gone for probably close to three months in total.” Syndy says.

“And he doesn’t fire her?” I say, surprised.

Syndy shrugs. “Tim doesn’t care as long as she shows up for her shifts when she says she will show up.”

“We haven’t been super busy recently anyways. Speaking of that, do I have any bookings for today?” Taylor asks, looking my way.

“Yes, actually, one at 10pm. Is that okay? I meant to text you about it but we were just leaving the McDonald’s and I forgot” I say, hoping she doesn’t flip out on me for not letting her know about the appointment right away.

“That’s perfect. I’ll take any call from the time I get in til midnight. If I’m here, I’m willing to work. You just tell me when my appointments are and I’ll work them.”

I’m relieved. These girls are much easier to get along with than Ebony and Dixie, and presumably Belle. “Okay good. So yes, you have an hour appointment with a gentleman named Cam at 10.”

“Do you know if he’s been here before?” She asks.

“The number wasn’t saved on the phone when he called so I don’t think so. I didn’t ask, want me to?”

“No, that’s fine. He’s probably new. I’m just curious.” She shoves a ludicrous amount of fries in her mouth and I look away.

“One of us has to tell Ebony or Dixie what happened today.” Syndy says.

“That wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened.” Taylor says. “I’m pretty fucking sure that Dixie stole my expensive concealer. If that bitch quits, I will throw a party.”

“I don’t wanna go through the bullshit of hiring new girls though, fuck that. They could end up being worse than the pair of them.” Syndy says.

“What about your friend that you worked for, Roxy? Would she come work for us?” Taylor asks, turning her body towards me.

“I know she wouldn’t, she’s really into being independent. I could always ask her though, it doesn’t hurt to ask.” I know that Sophie would never consider it, I’m not even sure it’s worth asking but I don’t want to get into that with them.

“We’re a cool bunch of girls, especially if Ebony and Dixie leave. Oh, and imagine if Belle just never came back. This would be a dream job.” Taylor says.

“Imagine how Tim would react if they all quit though. He’d be miserable to be around.” Syndy says.

“I’d rather Tim be in a pissy mood than work with those bitches.” Taylor shrugs her shoulders and dips her finger in the ketchup. “Shit goes missing when they’re around.”

“My old boss would go through our belongings if anything was reported missing. No one ever found anything that way though and we all started to wonder if it was the boss who was stealing shit.” Maggie says.